1. Field of the Invention
The following disclosure relates generally to an apparatus, method, and computer program and product for image forming.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a background image forming apparatus, a developing device and a toner container are provided separate from each other to reduce the apparatus size. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/667301 (the '301 patent application), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, describes an image forming apparatus including a process cartridge provided with a developing device, a toner container storing a toner, and a toner conveying device for conveying the toner from the toner container to the developing device. The toner conveying device is provided with an inclined pipe such that the toner from the toner container flows into the developing device through the toner conveying device under its own weight. However, this configuration may sometimes cause a problem.
For example, the toner in the toner container may have a high fluidity characteristic such that the toner tends to flow into the developing device in an amount larger than expected, thus causing scattering of toner or background contamination.